Check out the new issue of THE SOURCE on stands April 14th. One of our freshmen, Gerald Thomas, is an intern for the magazine, and landed a spread in the magazine for PSC. In fact, we are just the second school in the nation to have such a spread (the other being Howard).
(Click the photo and you'll see this on The Source home page)
So it was great that the hip hop president is now in The Source. So look for us next week.
The Prez
On Friday, our SUMMIT leadership program held their retreat. Over 30 freshmen and sophomores spent a day looking at and experiencing leadership. One of the activities was led by sophomore Carmen Bradford, who this past summer attended a social justice institute in Arizona.
Her activity had the participants in several groups with the goal of building a new community. They had to seek permits, get supplies, and even ask the mayor for assistance. There were 2 police officers facilitating the transactions. The stated task was to build as fast as you can.
Along the way, the groups experienced different treatment. One group had a large space in which to work, and was offered any assistance they may have needed. One group was always handled by the officers only after the placed gloves on. Another group was treated as troublemakers, and often sent to jail.
After about 30 minutes, the game was stopped and signs were placed up on the wall: white, black, women, gay, Latino. Each group of students unknowingly were a member of one of these groups, and treated according to the stereotypes associated with the groups. The students were able to share their experiences as members of these groups, with the overall goal to help them understand prejudice in our society.
So, while frustrating for many of them, this was an interesting learning experience.
The Prez
Today, the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission held a memorial on the steps of the State Capitol to commemorate the life of Dr. King. As you know, he was killed April 4, 1968. The program today was a wide-ranging event: bands, choirs, lawmakers, spoken word, speeches, etc. In fact, the program lasted 2 hours.
I went to support our Chosen Generation Choir, but ended up on the program to speak on behalf of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, of which Dr. King was a member. I guess you always have to be ready!
The Prez
This past Wednesday, Susan L. Taylor came to town to Bless the Mic. There was lots of excitement. The pre-lecture reception hosted students, faculty and staff, as well as some great women in the community. Members of The Links as well as Jack and Jill also attended the event. This group was hard to control! But we finally made it to the lecture.
Susan Taylor was on poin with so many issues. This was the first time I heard her do a keynote, but she was so deep. For the women's history month lecture, my wife introduces the speaker. She tore it up, quoting Talib Kweli's "Black Girl Pain."
That was an excellent segue into Taylor who talked a lot about pain, and the difference between it and suffering. She really shared the choices that we can make to improve our lives. I really wish every woman on my campus could have heard her because she was simply phenomenal.
Unfortunately, too many of us don't love ourselves and she really hit on that as well, about having your own stuff, about delaying gratification and making sacrifices.
If you ever have a chance to hear her speak, don't miss out.
The Prez
Last Thursday, we were the first campus in the country to host a budgetball tournament. Budgetball is a game designed to educate students about the national debt and to help them begin to think and act differently when it comes to this growing national problem. The game was developed by the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington DC.
When I was approached about the game, I said sure. It sounded like an interesting concept. But we really didn't know how it would work. As the game was designed, we began to finally see it work. In essence, the game is like a combination of football and ultimate frisbee. There are 3, eight minute periods where teams through the ball to someone in the end zone for points. In between periods there are strategy sessions where teams figure out how much debt or savings they want to do to get advantages. For example, you could "pay extra" to add players in order to get additional goals. But after that session and to make sure your budget is balanced, during the next session you might elect to have players wear oven mitts or to hop up and down while trying to pass.
The competition was fierce! The first place team was going to win a trip to DC to compete in a national game against the University of Miami. In the end, I think the students really enjoyed the event. I think someone suggested it as an intramural activity.
Maybe...
The Prez
Last night we hosted rap icon Sandy Denton, aka Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa. The group is the best selling female rap group of all time, and they were honored by VH1 a few years ago. They also had a new reality show recently.
This was Pep's FIRST speaking engagement. She joins the ranks of others who cut their speaking teeth at PSC (Karrine Steffans and Free). So we spent some time in my office just talking about the series and how much fun it is. The local newspaper sent a reporter to interview her, and we had a GREAT article in today's paper (Thanks Lamor!)
She mingled with the reception guests, and then did the program. She essentially talked about the struggles she chronicles in her book- the series of abuses she faced. She said she really didn't find her voice until she wrote the book.
"I stand before you a changed woman," she declared. She talked about how she rationalized reasons to stay in bad situations, and how many other women do the same. As she read a list of signs of abuse, the nervous laughter increased. I know we have students who are abused. I just hope she reached some of them so they can get some help.
Also- look for Pep's appearance to be seen in next month's The Source magazine. One of our students is an intern.
The Prez
Last Thursday, Alltel presented the 10 winners in the 4th annual Words of Wisdom contest. The chair of this event is Maya Angelou, and she shared some really heavy words of wisdom for the group in attendance. She really was the best I have heard her in a few years. I have attended all of these events, but this year was special because we finally got a winner.
Any student who is, or is going to attend an HBCU can complete an essay to compete. Over 1,300 essays were submitted this year for the 10 awards, each worth $10,000 (up from $5,000 the previous years). Maurice Culver, a student from Gary, IN, was one of the winners. He was the only student from an Arkansas HBCU. This was also the largest amount for the award as well.
Maurice's parents came down for the events, which included a private concert the night before with Musiq Soulchild, who also performed at the luncheon. We're very proud of Maurice as he represented PSC to the fullest!
The Prez
Article in today's local paper...
The Prez
Philander Smith College razes liquor store in revitalizing push
BY L. LAMOR WILLIAMS ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
March 12, 2009
The message on Brick House Liquor’s sign after winter break 2008 was the final straw for Philander Smith College President Walter Kimbrough.
“It said ‘Welcome back students,’” Kimbrough said Wednesday with an exasperated chuckle. “We’re a Methodist institution and the liquor store at our front gate was welcoming our students.”
After seeing the message, Kimbrough set out to do what none of his predecessors could afford to do: Purchase and raze the liquor store that sat a stone’s throw from the college’s entrance across Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.
“I almost can’t believe it happened today,” Kimbrough said. “The past president told me she tried several times in her six years but always was quoted some astronomical price.”
Kimbrough said the school paid $225,000 for the small cinder-block store and the property it sat on. He said no decision has been made on what will replace the building. The school also purchased two abandoned houses on Chester Street. A master plan started in the fall will determine how the properties will be used.
“We’ll have to wait and see what the architects say, but I don’t care if it’s nothing more than green grass and a few benches,” Kimbrough said.
Scott Wallace was listed as the owner of the store in Alcoholic Beverage Control Division documents. The store’s file in- cludes several violations, including selling to minors, clerks found with cocaine and marijuana, and clerks caught drinking on the job.
Wallace said he was happy to sell the store.
“We had security issues, were robbed a couple of times, things of that nature,” Wallace said. “I’m definitely not sentimentally attached to it. I’m glad to be out of there. They made me an offer, we talked about it and I just couldn’t turn it down. The store was more trouble than it was worth.”
Philander Smith and Little Rock’s other colleges and universities are part of a new movement that seeks to use educational or medical institutions as anchors for community redevelopment efforts rather than businesses, said Ron Copeland, director of the University District Partnership, a part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“Twenty or 30 years ago, redevelopment often focused on major corporations as anchors,” Copeland said. “What we’ve seen is private businesses often merge or move or fail. Philander Smith, UALR, Arkansas Baptist College, UAMS [University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences], these are major institutions that will be there for the next century. So, to the extent that they have a strong physical and economic presence in their areas, they will continue to be anchors well into the future.”
Copeland said UALR has joined private developers and stakeholders — such as real estate agents, banks and businesses operating in the area — in forming the University District Development Corporation. That group, Copeland said, is addressing the issues of both commercial and residential investment in the area.
Copeland said UALR is a prime player in those efforts and has committed to spending $100 million to develop new facilities and programs over the next 10 years. He said UALR’s role in commercial development involves helping attract and guide growth in the area and boosting the college’s impact on the community.
“Our advisers tell us that commerce follows people,” Copeland said. “Our emphasis is creating a quality of life that will attract families and then business and services will follow them.”
He said that while the organization is not quite four years old, some progress has been made.
“We’re just getting started, but there are developments. Even in this down time we’re seeing some home sales in the area. We had a new restaurant move into the area, Patio Pizza, down on Fair Park and that’s a real vote of confidence in the area,” he said.
“We have privately financed student housing on the south side of Asher Avenue where the old Coleman dairy used to be and we believe that’s because of the energy they see generated by the university campus,” Copeland said.
Fitz Hill, president of Arkansas Baptist College, unveiled his school’s latest community redevelopment project in late February.
Hill said the school spent about $215,000 to buy a run-down carwash at 1423 Wright Ave. and will use the facility as a learning laboratory for students studying business at the college.
Over the past two years, the school has bought 12 houses in the surrounding neighborhood. Some were demolished, but the refurbished houses are being used for office space and student housing. One house has been leased by the professional associations representing black firefighters and black state troopers, Hill said.
Jokingly, Kimbrough said he may be most happy that he can now call his father, a United Methodist minister, and tell him he managed to follow through on one of the preacher’s suggestions and got rid of the liquor store.
He said he’s sure some of his students may be sad to see the store go.
“We had a few from here get in trouble for buying underage and some from Central High School, too,” Kimbrough said. “We worked closely with [Alcoholic Beverage Control] to report violations. But I know that some of the students are happy to see it go.”
Alex Brown, 19, is among the students who won’t miss the liquor store, he said. Brown, from Fresno, Calif., was among the handful of students remaining on campus Wednesday during spring break. He had a suggestion for what can fill the vacant lot.
“A snack house or something open later than the cafeteria,” he said. “There’s a security booth right there, so it wouldn’t be a hazard to walk across the street. Sometimes people get hungry after the cafeteria closes at 6:30 p.m. and depending on the day, the food may not be good.”
This is how you destroy a liquor store in front of your campus. The bad news: There are at least 5 others within a 2 minute drive.
Makes me think of the intro on rapper Lupe Fiasco's debut CD, "Food and Liquor" (2006). Part of the lyrics are below:
Food and liquor stores rest on every corner...
They keep funeral homes in business and gunshot wards of hospitals full
Prisons packed, bubblin over in brown sugar
They keep empty, Westside lots crowded, hype's powdered
The well is running dry, the days of Malcolm and Martin have ended
Our hope has descended and off to the side
Waiting for the reinstallment of the revolution
Because we are dying at the cost of our own pollution
The Prez
|